Charles Baudelaire. Pauvre Belgique (Charles Baudelaire. Poor Belgium) (V. 43)
This work by Marcel Broodthaers references Charles Baudelaire's "Poor Belgium," a collection of the poet's critical notes on Belgian culture, transforming literary content into a conceptual art piece. The signed, dated, and numbered print, limited to an edition of 40 with 4 additional proofs, demonstrates Broodthaers' characteristic practice of engaging with historical texts and cultural institutions through printmaking and publication. By adopting the role of publisher alongside Herman Daled, Yves Gevaert, and Paul Lebeer, Broodthaers blurs the boundaries between artistic creation and editorial practice, central concerns in his oeuvre.
- Medium
- Signed with initials, dated and numbered 39 in black ink on the colophon, from the edition of 40 (there were also 4 proofs), published by Herman Daled, Yves Gevaert and Paul Lebeer, Paris.
- Location
- Phillips, Salt Lake City, UT
- Spotted At
- Auction House · PhillipsView on map
🔨 Auction Lot
Evening & Day Editions
January 23, 2025
Estimate: $6,000 to $8,000
Sold: $8,255
Lot 88
Artists in conversation
Joseph Kosuth
American · b. 1945
Kosuth similarly merges literary and philosophical texts with visual art, creating conceptual works that interrogate language, meaning, and institutional frameworks, directly paralleling Broodthaers' transformation of Baudelaire's written legacy into a printed conceptual object.
Lawrence Weiner
American · b. 1942
Weiner's text based conceptual practice treats language itself as the primary artistic material, and his use of limited edition publications and printed works as vehicles for institutional critique closely mirrors Broodthaers' approach in this signed edition.
Hans Haacke
German · b. 1936
Haacke shares Broodthaers' commitment to institutional critique and political commentary through conceptual art, frequently appropriating cultural and historical references to expose the ideological structures underlying art institutions and national identity.
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